Owe No One!

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. Rom13:8

A concept that few professing Christians seem to consider is how their faith applies to the area of personal finance. We live in a society saddled with massive debt as a way of life for most people. Without the extension of credit most of us could not own a home, buy a car or make any number of large purchases. But our need for more things has also served to bring us into bondage to a System that feeds on itself. Everyone wants more and everything Costs more. It’s a never ending cycle based on human greed.

Our own Government has spun out of control by abandoning its principle roots and adopting a system of perpetual debt. To assure their abundance of wealth, they have given themselves over to a Fiat Paper currency issued in Credit from Centralized banks around the world and Printed out of thin air! Nothing of real intrinsic value backs up this global money, except Paper Treasury notes based on the good faith and trust of the American People. As the Government uses this currency to purchase real assets and more power for itself, we the people hold the debt in the form of a weakening dollar and sky rocketing prices. But in our ignorance we play into this scheme because it gives us the ability to buy and the allusion we are doing well. Although none of it is based on sound financial principles.

The Federal Reserve System is no more Federal then Federal Express! It is a Private consortium of Banks that issues large sums of Credit to Governments around the world in exchange for collateralized assets. The Government Treasury then puts the money into circulation by ‘monetizing’ it through the sale of Treasury notes or other investment vehicles. Then the local banks are able to loan the money (issue credit) to capitol investors, consumers, business, ect, at a ten to one ratio and collect the interest on the money that NEVER really existed to begin with!

Most Nations, including the USA, had to alter their Constitutional laws to adopt this System. This is because the original framers of the Government recognized the dangers of taking on large amounts of debt and relinquishing the power to print and issue currency to an outside interest. Ultimately who ever controls the flow of money, controls the Nation. If the people do not have a Standard by which they can Measure the value of their money, WHO determines what its worth?

In the Bible Jesus drove the Money Changers Out of the Temple, (John2:13-22) because they were forcing the use of Temple Tokens in exchange for HARD Currency from other lands. The Exchange rates varied from day to day and even person to person! If someone came in with precious Gold coins from Egypt, for example, their rate would automatically be higher in order for the Changers to get their hands on the gold. The Centralized Banking System of the Reserve is no different. You exchange a hard asset (your house, land, a precious possession) for a Piece of Paper (valued by the money changers) pay them usury (interest) and then spend the money you didn’t have to begin with on a highly inflated item you may or may not need. Thus you go further into debt to the money changers using their devalued paper and mortgage your real assets to them for the privilege of having more. No Wonder Jesus turned over the tables and used a Whip to drive them out!

The Federal Reserve System is Usury at its worst. They issue the Credit, set the Value and dictate the rules of high finance. In doing so they have full control of every important asset and commodity on the face of the earth. They are the Money Changers of the World and everyone comes to them for credit, including the Professing Christians. FEW Consider the ramification to their personal faith for not adhering to sound financial principles in their life. Being saddled with large amounts of debt in a society bent on having more of everything, will ultimately lead to compromise. Many so-called Christian business people operate in very dubious fashion to increase their gain. Someone needs to take a Whip into these churches and drive out these hypocrites who are mocking God by their greed. The Bible Speaks harshly against this:

If he has oppressed the poor and needy, Robbed by violence, Not restored the pledge, Lifted his eyes to the idols, Or committed abomination; If he has exacted usury Or taken increase— Shall he then live? He shall not live! If he as one any of these abominations, He shall surely die; His blood shall be upon him. Ezk18:12-13

In the Greek and Hebrew the Translation for the Word Money is, ‘SILVER’ Precious metals have been considered a fair rate of exchange over thousands of years. Never paper notes, because they are always based on Credit. Moses Condemned the lending of money with interest:

If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. Ex22:25

You shall not charge interest to your brother—interest on money or food or anything that is lent out at interest. Deut23:19

Certainly among Christian Brethren we should lend him anything WITHOUT charging interest! The early Church practiced this, even among the Pagan nations. The Money Changers hated them for it and persecuted harshly when they could. Perhaps when Paul told Timothy that all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, he was thinking of this very thing. But the hypocrisy of the Professing Church is such that not only do they partake in usury among themselves, they also operate under Government sanctioned status to remain tax exempt! The entire arrangement smells of Compromise.

Jesus said His Followers would be the LIGHT of the World, like a City on a Hill that can’t be hidden. (Matt5:14) They Would Walk in this Light and Practice His Truth. (John3:3:21) Toward the pagan world they would be a beckon of hope in the midst of Darkened World. If someone needed help, they would lend a hand, if a stranger required assistance they would provide it. All WITHOUT turning a profit doing it or making the person feel obligated to repay. That’s the Biblical Principle! Therefore you need to KEEP yourself out of excessive debt in order to help others when they need your help.

If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you.  Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. Lev25:35-38

Read Leviticus 25 and study the Principles of owing money and paying back a debt. It is FAR removed from the System we are presently under. If someone does owe you a large sum of money and  cannot pay you back, they may work for you as a hired servant (Not a slave!) and only for a prescribed period of time. You cannot lord over him or his family. The Lord is your Master and you answer to Him. Usury always destroys the vitality of a nation. God permitted Usury against the wicked Canaanites (Deut23:20) to drive them from the land. (Ex23:29-30)  Along with the military occupation it served as an economic conquest that destroyed their livelihood and conceded their use of the land. (JUST as it has done to us in America today!)

If the Church was REALLY the Church (Genuine People of God) they would take care of their own and not subject themselves to this kind of financial tyranny. Persecution or not, like the early Christians they would conduct their financial affairs in a godly manner to the best of their ability. The Principles of hard work, thrift, diligence and integrity would be common place among them. Then instead of ignoring the Eight Commandment, ‘Thou Shall Not Steal’, they would realize that God has forbidden His People the use of Trickery, Bribes, unjust dealing, fraudulent sale of merchandise and the use of false coins. Covertness and Thief would be unheard of among Christians, NOT their common Practice.

The United States began on the Biblical Principle of real money. The Coinage Act of 1792 defined the amount of Silver grains that equaled a dollar. Each dollar was a unit and all other money was to be counted against it for value. Gold was measured against the unit of the Silver Dollar at a ratio of 15-1 and later at 16-1, until 1873. If the US Government wanted to spend three million dollars for the purchase of lands, they had to have at least that much in Gold / Silver Reserves to make the purchase. And much of the time the purchase was actually made in Gold, not paper. Indebting the American people to the banks was considered poor practice, because once a Centralized banking system got control of the economy people would be drowning in debt.

 In 1873 the US (and many other Nations) Moved from Silver to Gold as the standard. This lead quickly to a paper system based on a fixed price per once of Gold. No longer did everything have to be transacted in hard coin, the issuance of paper encouraged the use of credit and the banks were happy to comply. US debt ballooned to over 2.7 Billion following the War Between the States. The Stage of was set for a Reserve System to come into place and perpetuate this into the Trillions.

Along the way Americans suffered the consequences of this greed. They were strapped with an ever increasing national debt that devalued their dollar and inflated the price of their goods. The Country itself after passing the Federal Reserve Act in 1913 began taxing the income of its people to pay the interest on the money they were borrowing from the Bankers. By 1933 this tax was attached to all incomes on a graduated scale and was soon passed off as Social Security in the SS Act of 1935. It wasn’t long before a payroll tax kicked in and the Government was collecting large sums of money from the people in the biggest Poesy scheme in history.

With no resemblance of a Biblically based momentary system remaining the people easily fell prey to the scheme under the promise of future payouts to the elderly and the use of the money in social assistance programs.  But in reality this so-called ‘Trust Fund’ (of working men’s dollars) would be invested in paper and used to expand the Fiat system already in place. At its inception it appeared to be successful in making payouts to retirees and taking care of the needy, without burdening the tax payers to any great extent. But as the size of the fund grew and the need for more programs came along, the percentage of payroll tax increased proportionally. The entire system was based totally on Credit issued by the banks, not on a Sound financial basis. As the Government borrows and spends more the nation goes deeper into long term debt and your dollars (issued by them) buy less and less. Everything cost more and real wealth ceases to exist.

As part of this system everything we think we own is in hock to the Money Changers. We purchased our homes through their banks and our means of transportation. The Government continues to collect taxes and levy fees against these assets. If you fail to pay them, they confiscate the property. Abraham was rich because he OWNED land, Cattle, had Gold and Silver. He Owed no man, except to love him for the sake of his faith in God. We are increased with goods, but own nothing. Many are caught in this vicious cycle and destitute in faith, grabbing desperately after more. It’s not the money of itself that’s evil, but the incessant need to have more that puts people into this downward spiral leading to perdition.

Paul says that godliness with contentment is great gain, (1Tim6:6) and it’s the love of money that drowns men’s souls in destruction. (1Tim6:9) Our System finances this desire with a thing called CREDIT that offers everyone the opportunity to have more than they can earn. I know it would be an impossibility to live in our present day society and exercise all the biblical principle of finance, but it’s Certainty NOT impossible to live with much less than we have now, SPEND much less, Borrow little and KEEP ourselves out of excessive Debt. This is not a mandate for communal life, that didn’t work for the early church and it wouldn’t work for us. But as Genuine Christians we are surly obligated in kindness and generosity toward our fellow man, and MOST important of all Absolute Honesty in all our dealing on earth.

This is not to say that we as followers of Jesus should endeavor to make ourselves destitute helping others. There is no more true virtue in poverty than in riches. As Paul said in Phil4:12,  Whether you are abased or abound, you glory in the Lord and use what you have toward the advancement His Kingdom. Always give what you can, but take care not to enable someone’s addiction. The Principle of Working and eating still applies. (2Thess3:10) Christian generosity should never be used to give anyone an excuse not to partake in honest labor. The parables teach us to be wise Stewards of the Master’s goods. Not to waste or spend foolishly. We should always be ready to give a sound accounting of our dealings and offer to the Lord what is rightly His.

Spending every penny we earn and living from paycheck to paycheck is NOT being that good and faithful steward. If possible we should lay aside something so that in the event of lack we do not have to become a burden on our fellow believers. Remember the servant that was entrusted with more, produced more and when his accounting day arrived, he was able to yield his increase. The Lord does not expect you to be penniless when you can indeed provide for yourself and your family. Certainly a day may come when something beyond your control robs you of everything you have, but DO NOT bring it on yourself! 

As long as you are able, the Biblical Principle is to Produce a Corp and bring something forth. The accumulation of riches is not our main concern on earth. We brought nothing into this world with us and it is certain we will take nothing out. (1Tim6:7) While on our sojourn however we have an obligation to exercise sound principles of finance. As the Virgins kept their Lamps burning and the faithful servant labored through the heat of the day, we also must Press forward and be rich in good works. Keep your Priorities in order at all times and remain diligent. Let the Word of God always be a sign on your hands and the frontal between your eyes. May the Lord then say to you when it is Finished:

“Well Done, thou good and faithful Servant! Enter now into thy Rest.”